- Netflix is reportedly backing away from interactive moves and games
- According to recent news, it will download all currently available ones by December
- It is planned to put more emphasis on regular matches
You know, sometimes the easiest way to win is to not play. And in the case of games (particularly mobile) this seems to be especially true, with the recent news that Netflix is ready to end its experiment with interactive movies and TV shows. According to recent news from the Game Developer outlet, Netflix may abandon its entire range of interactive media as early as December 1st.
While we don't know the fate of major projects like Bandersnatch, reports point out that the creator of at least one show, Battle Kitty, has said she will soon disappear from the streamer's lineup. It's a pretty ignoble end to an interesting experiment, and a pretty terrible time in media preservation, as none of these shows or movies have any way to stream them outside of Netflix.
Game over
Netflix pretty much put the writing on the wall for its interactive shows back in January. But this announcement, along with the closure of the streamer's much-hyped AAA game studio, Team Blue, is certainly giving some of us here pause.
While Netflix Games remains promising, given the fanfare to which Bandersnatch and its interactive content have been released, I wouldn't blame you for being worried that their traditional games service could be close to being cut if they're willing to eliminate these other title grabbers . Especially with the platform seemingly ready to fully embrace AI as a big new project.
It's also a real shame, we don't have a curated list of the best Netflix games for nothing, and the ability to snag award winners like Hades or indie hits like Into the Breach for practically nothing is one of the great things about Netflix Games. I think the interactive shows and movies weren't intended to be a long-running addition to the line-up, but it still seems like a cheeky way to bring them forward.